Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, April 3rd 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are Spring migrants including YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER plus HARLEQUIN DUCK, EURASIAN WIGEON, Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL and other wintering birds.

As the seasonal transition moves along more expected early migrants continue to show up but one not unusually anticipated in March was a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER found Monday in Valley Stream State Park and is still being seen up to Thursday morning. This species now breeds very locally in our area and is among those that should not be harassed as they prospect for suitable nesting sites.

Enhancing its reputation as an excellent early Spring migration site Hempstead Lake State Park last Sunday produced a number of the species now beginning to filter through many of our local parks. Besides WOOD DUCK and OSPREY as well as a continuing intergrade Eurasian and American GREEN-WINGED TEAL present with some American GREEN-WINGS. Among the passerines were good numbers of EASTERN PHOEBES and TREE SWALLOWS, some GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS and a couple of BROWN CREEPERS, at least 4 PINE WARBLERS and a PALM WARBLER and 5 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, a NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW also showed up there Tuesday.

Another arriving warbler was a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH visiting Fuch's Pond in Northport from Tuesday through Thursday. Adding a wintry touch up to about a dozen COMMON REDPOLLS were also present around this pond which is located along the east side of Waterside Road north of Route 25A.

Other birds on the move have featured a few BLUE-WINGED TEAL, among the herons a LITTLE BLUE HERON at Sunken Meadow State Park Tuesday and 2 YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS in Hewlett yesterday as well as some GREAT EGRETS and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, WILLET in Napeague Monday, a few LAUGHING GULLS, FORSTER'S TERN at Jones Beach West End yesterday, BARN SWALLOW at Napeague Harbor Sunday, MARSH WREN, some EASTERN BLUEBIRDS and CHIPPING SPARROW. A BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE showed up in Westchester County Thursday at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye. Also in this category were a nice count of 23 PIPING PLOVERS on the Coast Guard bar at Jones Beach West End Sunday, 2 AMERICAN WOODCOCK in Manhattan's Bryant Park Tuesday and a BLACK VULTURE over Prospect Park on Monday. A Eurasian form of GREEN-WINGED TEAL was seen again Wednesday and Thursday at Brookville Park in Queens with American GREEN-WINGS.

As for Winter birds a pair of HARLEQUIN DUCKS were still around the westernmost Point Lookout jetty last Sunday and a few continuing EURASIAN WIGEON include 2 Sunday still on the West Sayville Golf Course and another Sunday at Grant Park in Hewlett while another around southern Westchester during the Winter has been on Playland Lake in Rye the last couple of days.

A few RED-NECKED GREBES continue with sightings this week from Randall's Island, Battery Park in Manhattan, along the Brooklyn shore with up to 5 still off Floyd Bennett Field Sunday and off Staten Island. One in the Point Lookout boat basin west of the loop causeway on Sunday was in great plumage.

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was still at the north end of Jamaica Bay Saturday and an ICELAND GULL was still around Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn today. A nice flock of 30 or more SNOW BUNTINGS were still circulating around Jones Beach West End last Sunday.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or during the day except Sunday call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.